Sri Lanka India In Talks For Nuclear Deal!

Sri Lanka and India has held discussions on civil nuclear technology to hammer out a deal on bilateral co-operation, India’s High Commission (embassy) in Colombo said.

The Indian delegation to Colombo made up of representatives of Department of Atomic Energy of India was led by Amandeep Singh Gill Joint Secretary (Disarmament) in the Ministry of External Affairs, the statement said.

The Sri Lankan delegation had been headed by Dhara Wijayatilake, Secretary, Ministry of Technology and Research, Government of Sri Lanka and included representatives from the Atomic Energy Authority and the Ministry of External Affairs of Sri Lanka.

The talks were on a draft text of a comprehensive Agreement on Bilateral Civil Nuclear Cooperation, the embassy said.

A second round of talks would be held in India later in the year the statement said.

Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Technology and Research has tried to interest India in developing power using Thorium deposits in the island from as far back as 2008.

Sri Lanka’s current Minister of Technology and Research Champak Ranawaka has also expressed interest in nuclear power plants at the time he headed the energy ministry.